ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the populist radical right in Croatia extensively relies on memory politics in order to draw a line that separates society into two antagonistic camps – “the pure people” versus “the corrupt elite.” Focusing particularly on WW II, the Croatian populist radical right attempts to redefine the in- and out-group. Much like in other comparative cases in Europe, they rely on images of a glorious past, myths and origins, and narratives about historical enemies and threats that are used as a source of social mobilization. The chapter offers an overview of memory politics related to the Ustaša movement with a particular emphasis on populist elements. Building on the scholarship of memory politics, the focus shifts to the larger political context of a wide variety of political groups with diverse motivations for utilizing rhetoric related to history. Instead of merely focusing on the content of rhetoric related to memory politics, attention is paid to its political functionality. Political actors utilize memory politics for different political purposes and may rehabilitate different aspects of the same event, movement, regime or ideology depending on their political agenda. In the case of Croatia, the question of which aspects of Ustaša history are rehabilitated, or condemned, reveals how memory politics is largely conditioned by how it is related to other political ideas and concepts employed by political actors.
